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2023 Top Illinois Men's D1 Football Schools

With all of the options student athletes have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we're committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our Best Colleges for Division I Men's Football in Illinois ranking.

We analyzed 4 colleges and universities across Illinois to determine which were the best for D1 Men's Football athletes in Illinois. To come up with this ranking, we look at a number of factors that are all objective measurements. These factors include the school's overall quality as determined by our Best Colleges ranking and the athletic competitiveness of the school. Thus, in order to rank well, the school must offer a quality education in addition to having a great sports team.

Learn more about our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

We've developed a number of other tools and rankings to help you make your college decision. Start by filtering this list by location and then explore our other rankings that feature schools great for different groups of students such as online students or returnings adults.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Top Colleges in Illinois for D1 Men's Football athletes in Illinois

See which schools came out on top of our ranking:

1

Illinois State University
Normal, Illinois

#15 in Quality in Illinois

$4,742,299 Team Revenue

962 Academic Progress Rate

Our analysis found Illinois State University to be the best school for D1 Men’s Football athletes in Illinois in this year’s ranking. Illinois State is located in Normal, Illinois and, has a large student population. In , this school awarded 4,495 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates. On the financial side of things, the FCS Men’s Football team at Illinois State made $4,742,299 in revenue. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 962. Read More…

2

Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, Illinois

#25 in Quality in Illinois

$2,989,810 Team Revenue

930 Academic Progress Rate

The excellent sports programs at Eastern Illinois University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for D1 Men’s Football athletes in Illinois. Located in Charleston, Illinois, the medium-sized public school awarded 1,132 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in . On the financial side of things, the FCS Men’s Football team at EIU made $2,989,810 in revenue. The academic progress rate of the team is 930. Full Eastern Illinois University Sports Report

3

Western Illinois University
Macomb, Illinois

$3,104,498 Team Revenue

959 Academic Progress Rate

$13,661 Avg Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Illinois University landed the #3 spot on the list. Western Illinois University is a medium-sized public school located in Macomb, Illinois that handed out 1,237 bachelor’s degrees in . The FCS Men’s Football team at WIU brought home $3,104,498 in revenue in a single year. The academic progress rate of the team is 959. Read More…

4

Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Carbondale, Illinois

$4,069,488 Team Revenue

971 Academic Progress Rate

$15,416 Avg Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #4 spot on the list. This fairly large public school is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and it awarded 2,016 bachelor’s degrees in . The FCS Men’s Football team at SIUC brought home $4,069,488 in revenue in a single year. The academic progress rate of the team is 971. Read full sports report on Southern Illinois University Carbondale

View Best Colleges for FCS Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region >

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Notes and References

Footnotes

*Avg Tuition and Fees and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 4 schools only.

References

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Revenue and expense information comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s Equity in Athletics Data Analysis (EADA) website.
• The academic progress rate (APR) of each team was made available by the NCAA.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

More about our data sources and methodologies.